OrganicNation visits Laurelwood Public House & Brewery in Portland, OR

Not long after arriving in Portland after a 17-hour train ride from the Bay Area, we got down to business and started sniffing out Portland's rich organic beverage scene and headed over to the Laurelwood Public House & Brewery. As soon as we walked in the door, head brewer Chad Kennedy handed us a couple of pints of two of his organic brews -- the Free Range Red and Tree Hugger Porter -- and showed us around the microbrewery.

Not all of the beers that are produced at Laurelwood are organic, but generally about a third of the beer under production is organic. Laurelwood calls itself Oregon's "original" organic brewery -- not becuase it was the first, per se, but it's now the longest surviving in the state, which is known for its microbreweries. It almost goes without saying that the beers were outstanding, and in fact, Kennedy told us that Laurelwood will be providing some of the beer for the Organic Summit, which we'll be attending over the next few days in Stevenson, WA.

-Mark